1. Field of Invention:
The present invention relates to curable compositions comprising polyepoxides and polyacid curing agents. More specifically, the present invention relates to curable coating compositions which are useful as composite coatings comprising color plus clear coatings. The invention also relates to a process for preparing color plus clear coated articles and to the coated articles themselves.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Color plus clear coating systems involving the application of a colored or pigmented base coat to a substrate followed by the application of a transparent or clear top coat to the base coat are becoming increasingly popular as original finishes for automobiles. Color plus clear systems having outstanding gloss and distinctness of image (DOI) can be formulated with polyepoxides and polyacid curing agents to produce coatings with excellent adhesion, gloss and distinctness of image (i.e., ability to reflect images in a clear, well-defined manner). However, because of their instability in the presence of catalysts which are commonly used therewith, these compositions are not best suited to use as one-pack base coats. This presents a commercial limitation on these compositions since applicators generally prefer one-pack coatings. By the present invention, these compositions can be formulated into one-pack base coats for multiple coatings applications such as color plus clear applications.